I haven't been on this thread for a while but I figured I'd help toward the millenium mark.
I have my own questions about that tv interview Captain Walbridge gave. At the time I dismissed it a pretty much a publicity piece to be taken with a large helping of salt. But does anyone know (not rumor but fact) whether Walbridge actually did any of the things he talked about -- chasing hurricanes, running under bare poles in a 70 kt wind, etc. I mean true hurricane-force winds and seas, not a near gale with some gusts of 50 kts. Watching the interview I had a feeling he had not, but I really don't know. I have to confess that some 50 years ago, through an act of supreme stupidity by myself and three other young men, I was caught in a similar situation to that of the Bounty in more or less the same area. We were lucky to survive. I just can't imagine anyone who has gone through a hurricane in a small boat talking as blithely about it as Walbridge did in that interview.
If Walbridge did have the experiences he claimed then what he did was really reprehensible but if he did not he may have been as little aware of what he was getting into as his crew. Sure, he sailed the Bounty for a long time but not like the original was sailed.
A Royal Navy officer at that time begain his career in his young teens as a midshipman. Gradually he would work his way up if he were good enough to post captain and maybe admiral. By the time he reached that rank he would have constantly been at sea (except during refits) for years, in all kinds of sailing ships, in all kinds of weather. He would have known from years of experience how a ship would handle in any conditions including hirricane force winds. There is probably no one alive today who had that kind of experience with wooden sailing ships.
This is all speculation of course but it might explain though not excuse what happened if the captain decided -- Well the Bounty had gone through a gale (40kts) without much trouble, she should be able to get through this without really knoqing what 'this' was. Again, this all speculation.
Another question, does anyone know whether the Bounty's topmasts were taken down before she sailed? Hard to tell from the pictures.

"A local public television interview with Walbridge from the summer included a quote from the captain saying that he had previously chased hurricanes.

In the interview, Walbridge said "you try and get up as close to the eye of it as you can, and you stay down in the southeast quadrant, and when it stops, you stop. You don't want to get in front of it - you want to stay behind it. But you'll also get a good ride out of a hurricane."

McCann said Tuesday that during the public television interview her husband was "being a little?cute, I guess."

"But he would like hurricanes because they pushed him, they made him go fast. And he's been in many hurricanes. I mean, I can't even count the number of hurricanes he's been in."

McCann said her husband had been trying to navigate around the storm "and get on the east side of it, which is what he did do."
She said that in the weeks since the ship went down, she has learned of a series of "unfortunate circumstances" at sea, including overwhelmed pumps and generator problems.

The crew has been "extremely supportive and caring and loving" since the sinking, McCann said, adding that the first mate spoke to her about her husband's dedication to safety."

"A local public television interview with Walbridge from the summer included a quote from the captain saying that he had previously chased hurricanes.

In the interview, Walbridge said "you try and get up as close to the eye of it as you can, and you stay down in the southeast quadrant, and when it stops, you stop. You don't want to get in front of it - you want to stay behind it. But you'll also get a good ride out of a hurricane."

McCann said Tuesday that during the public television interview her husband was "being a little?cute, I guess."

"But [B]he would like hurricanes because they pushed him, they made him go fast. And he's been in many hurricanes. I mean, I can't even count the number of hurricanes he's been in."

....

..

When I saw that TV interview with the Captain I wonder if he was not just bragging about it but then what he said in the television regarding chasing hurricanes was just what he said before departure to his crew. I mean he give a very similar description to his crew regarding the way he pretended to maneuver this particular hurricane.

Besides that, he could be bragging but what reason had his wife to brag about his husband regarding him having been in many hurricanes?

Maybe it was just true, maybe the captain " like hurricanes because they pushed him, they made him go fastt".

If he liked hurricanes and chase them it is only natural that he would not have wanted to miss this one and its fast ride.

Someplace in this thread is a quote from Walbridge talking about how he intended to skirt around Sandy. That reminded me a lot of watching him in the video, like he had this foolproof method. At least one of the crew said he had been through two hurricanes with Walbridge. I also remember reading a quote from one of the crew saying Walbridge told the crew what he was planning to do and if anyone didn't want to go, he would understand. So there is certainly some evidence there was intent to sail towards a hurricane when he left New London.

I, myself, personally intend to continue being outspoken and opinionated, intolerant of all fanatics, fools and ignoramuses, deeply suspicious of all those who have "found the answer" and on my bad days, downright rude.

It is not really important who got first the general picture what is important is that in the end the general opinion on this forum is pretty much consensual and that is great. I believe that this consensual position (that is similar to the one of the main professional sailing forums) will be globally the one that will be reached by the CG investigation, certainly reinforced by some missing facts that certainly will come to the light on the CG investigation. However it seems to me that the facts that we have already are enough to substantiate this consensus and to get a good idea of what have happened, not in the details but globally.

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